"Eyes on me."
It was more a frustrated sigh than a command, and Owen was getting sick of saying it when they hardly ever responded to him. In the large paddock below him sat four lazy, good for nothing velociraptors. Blue at least raised her head to glance at him, but she only snorted before laying it back down, her eyes closing as she lounged in the sun soaked dust.
Two months had passed since Blue had been accepted into the pack. Two frustrating months with so little to show for the work he and Barry had committed. Two months of sheer frustration. The raptors themselves had grown tremendously in that time. Blue's back was now level with Owen's chest. Her quills, the false feathers that had adorned her back had fallen out or been rubbed off for the past month and a half.
But it wasn't just Blue; all the raptors had grown, so much so that they had been moved to a new facility: Paddock Number one. When they had requested the move to a larger enclosure, Barry had explained that there were actually ten paddocks scattered across the island, ready to house one pack of velociraptors as various handlers like himself and Barry worked to determine if velociraptors could be trained consistently for public display. These paddocks were situated down the center of the island creating a kind of buffer zone that separated the southern, public side of the island, and the closed free range research zone to the north. The paddocks themselves were designed for ease of care and observation of new species before their introduction into the park or release into the northern research zone.
For Owen, this meant an added twenty minute drive to his morning commute because Paddock Number One was situated on the cliffs that lined the western edge of the island. Twenty more minutes each morning for the pack to further degrade the training he was putting Blue through. He had expected her to backslide in training a little after she moved in with the pack. He had expected even more when they had moved to a larger, more open enclosure. He had also expected that she would bring some of her training and eagerness to the pack itself.
Instead, it had been a fight just to keep the foundation he had built with her. Blue's acceptance into the pack had resulted in her becoming the pack omega. The blue streaked raptor was now the recipient of bites and growls anytime she acted outside the pack's goals. This was especially true if she ever responded to Owen. Before long she had simply given up and followed her sisters. Giving Owen little more than a glance in his direction when he called.
To combat this, he and Barry had dedicated mornings to individual training. Every morning, they would separate Blue from the pack and Owen would begin working with her while Barry attempted to get some response out of the other girls.
To Owen's pleasure, Blue was always attentive during these times and each morning provided a too brief chance to reconnect the fraying loyalty between them. Still, it was easy to see that the pack was having an effect on Blue's demeanor. Owen could almost sense the wild heart growing inside the young raptor.
The other raptors weren't so calm with him. On good days, Delta and Echo would ignore him, and Charlie would watch him intensely, following every visible move he made. The bad days however, made Owen appreciate the thick bars and high walls that separated him from Charlie. Barks, warbles, and growls would echo through the surrounding forest as Charlie led Delta and Echo to try everything possible to reach him. Their cries were so consistent and constant that even Blue had participated occasionally, even if more hesitantly. It often took the appearance of food being lowered into the Paddock by Barry to convince them to give up their assault.
"That can't be right. Echo listens to her."
"You're looking through rose-tinted glasses Owen. It may not be often, and you may refuse to see it, but even Echo is allowed to get snappy with your girl. I'm sorry my friend, but your beta is still the pack omega."
Owen let out a defeated sigh, taking a swig of beer that had grown too warm over the course of this conversation.
The two friends were sitting in the small living area of Barry's staff apartment. A soccer game was playing on the television, but the volume had been muted, and both men were sitting comfortably, trying to review their options through the hazy lens of warm alcohol.
"I'm out of ideas Barry." Owen finally sighed, his head leaning back, resting on the couch cushion. "No matter what I do, I'm still the losing side. Your girls won't give me the time of day, and nothing I teach Blue can be used around the pack without the others putting her back in her place."
"We knew this might happen." Barry responded quietly.
"I know, I know! But why haven't we figured out a solution yet?"
Barry sat quietly, swirling the last swig of beer around the bottle he held. "Maybe we have just been thinking about this the wrong way."
"Blue is supposed to be the pack Beta, but your girls aren't giving her the chance to move up the ranks. What other way is there to look at it?" Owen grumbled quickly without opening his eyes.
Barry didn't answer, letting the room fall quiet save for the patter of rain against the window. Owen let himself sink deeper into the couch. He forced himself to relax, trying to will away the stress and the near constant headache plaguing him. Reluctantly, his body began to unwind and he felt himself sinking into sleep.
"Charlie's the oldest." Barry stated quietly.
"What?" Owen muttered, raising his head from the couch.
"Charlie, she hatched first, watched the other two hatch as well."
"Okay? I gathered as much from her name. Delta was second right?"
"Right, and Echo was last."
"I know." Owen cracked an eye, looking over at his friend. "And you already know how I feel about your uncreative names. What does this have to do with the pack?"
"Maybe more than we thought. Owen, I have been trying to find some real connections between my girls and why they structured the way they did, and that's it."
"What's it?"
"No. That. Is. It. The time they hatched is perhaps the only significant difference between the three besides their coloration."
Owen shifted slightly, sitting up again to give his fellow trainer more of his attention. "What are you getting at Barry?"
"Okay, bear with me. I don't think Blue is making any progress because there is no real pack structure. And before you interrupt me, let me explain."
Owen closed his mouth and motioned for the man to continue.
"Packs have hierarchies, roles that each member fills. The Alpha is traditionally the leader, the defender, the one to protect the pack from outside threats. The Beta is the second in command and the pack manager. She traditionally backs the alpha, fulfilling and even questioning his command while ensuring the pack stays in line. The rest of the pack follows, filling roles as needed and challenging the command structure when the opportunity arises."
Owen nodded.
"This is instinctual, most every pack species understands the hierarchy to some extent, and the rest is learned through play and experience as they grow. I think our girls lack distinct roles. The only thing that made Charlie the alpha is her age. She has the instinct to protect her sisters, but she has never been tested, it's made her non-committal. She wants to eliminate perceived threats, but at the first distraction, she forgets her position."
"She is also acting without a Beta. While both Delta and Echo are content to pick on Blue from time to time, neither has really stepped up as a Beta. When she steps into the Alpha role, Charlie is being forced into both roles, the defender and the manager."
Owen rubbed his eyes, letting the ideas sink in. "So what do you suggest we do?"
"I think it's time we teach them to hunt."
Owen snorted, they were back at this argument again. "Barry, you know I agree with you, they're predators, they need to hunt, even if only for their mental health. But you also know how squirmy the board got the last time we suggested that. They would never let that happen. It'd be 'inhumane'. Besides, their paddock isn't nearly big enough for them to learn what true hunting means."
"I'm not talking about the paddock, Owen."
Owen's eyebrow shot up. "What, you want to loose them on the park?"
"No! I'm talking about the research zone. It's perfect. Half of an entire island for them to hunt in, numerous herbivorous dinosaurs for them to hunt as a pack, and no other predators to worry about."
Owen shook his head. "And how, pray tell would we get them home after they've been released?"
"A.C.U. could cook up some nice tranquilizers for that."
"You know as well as I do that the moment we strike one of these animals, they will never trust us again."
"And you know that there is more than one way to tranquilize an animal. Besides, if that doesn't work we can just send you in. With how focused Charlie is on you, she'd probably chase you all the way back to the paddock." Barry chuckled at his own joke.
"I think you've had enough to drink Barry. This is insane. Besides it still doesn't answer the problem of Blue's ranking in the pack."
"Train her first."
"What?"
Teach her how to catch and kill prey yourself, before they get released. Do it right and she could prove her value to her sisters. She may be able to move herself up the ranks, at least out of the pack's omega position."
Owen shook his head with a chuckle and shakily stood up, his sense of balance lagging behind his legs. Turning to his friend, he pulled the bottle of beer out of his friend's hand and made his way to the kitchen. Throwing both their bottles in the trash, he grabbed his keys and wallet off the counter.
"Well you've thought it out, I'll give you that much. I'll tell you what, you remember this in the morning and I'll back you up if you want bring it to the board."
"You got a deal."
The young trainer shook his head with a smile. They had a plan. It was better than nothing. Now all he needed to do was get four doors down and sleep off the alcohol in his system. Turning to the apartment door. He muttered to Barry "Alright, I'll see you bright and early, don't let that hangover get the best of you, things go well, we'll have a lot of work to do."
Barry was already fast asleep.
He had done it.
The bastard had actually gotten the green light from Dr. Wu and the board that overlooked his research. There would be contingencies of course, but even Barry knew his idea needed some tweaking if it was going to be safe for everyone involved.
The first was that each raptor would be fitted with a second tracker. This device was a larger prototype and would need to be surgically implanted into each Raptor's shoulder, but when activated, it would be strong enough to pierce the dense underbrush that covered much of the Northern half of the island.
The second was that the experiment would take place over two weeks at the height of the rainy season, when very few visitors visited the park. Finally, the research zone was to be temporarily restricted even to the research teams that frequented it. Members of the A.C.U. would be stationed at each Paddock throughout the island and would remain on watch for the duration of the experiment. They would also handle the capture and transport at the end of the experiment.
This left Owen with less than a month to prepare Blue for this controlled release.
"Eyes on me."
She stared at him. The distractions of her pack separated by solid concrete.
CLICK.
His thumb pressed the clicker and he grabbed a rat out of his belt pouch, tossing it through the bars.
She caught it with a snap of her jaw, swallowing the thawed morsel whole. She took a step towards the bars separating them. Cocking her head an audible "whuff" escaping her snout.
He knew she was waiting for more. Their routine dictated it.
Her attention waivered and she glanced around.
"Eyes on me."
Her head immediately snapped to him.
CLICK
Another reward slid down her throat. He had to admit, she was doing far better today than in the past several weeks. Maybe she felt his anticipation. He placed his hand on the lever next to him.
"Eyes on me."
Her amber gaze met his.
CLICK
The rest was a blur.
The young pig shot out into Blue's pen, ducking between her legs before she had registered the movement. When she finally moved, Owen could tell her motions were purely instinct. He could practically feel her intent to kill as she quickly rounded on herself in order to chase her prey.
The pig was fast, but Owen knew she would be faster. The pig had no cover in here, no place to hide, and no chance. He never liked this option, not in falconry, and not here. Setting up a kill for predators was never pretty, but it was often necessary. Blue needed this chance. She needed to be given a role to fill. The high pitched squeal brought him back from his thoughts and signaled the chase was over.
When Owen looked towards his girl, he had expected to see her standing triumphantly over her kill. But it wasn't triumph he sensed, it was confusion. Blue was now stood atop the wriggling pig, staring at the animal with uncertainty. Her talons sat heavily on the pig's skin. Holding it in place, but not cutting into its flesh. She stared at the animal beneath her, eyeing it from every angle she could turn her head to.
Finally she bent down and cautiously nipped at the pig's ear, gouging grooves into it and causing the pig to squeal and writhe under her. Owen cursed under his breath. She was acting exactly like a young hawk on her first catch. She was toying with her prey, learning its sounds and movements. It was all necessary for her to learn, but keeping it this way risked losing the prey and looked bad for any onlookers.
With a small sigh, he unlocked the barred door and stepped carefully into the enclosure, closing the door quietly behind him. Pulling his knife from his belt, he stepped carefully towards the raptor and her catch. As he neared, the raptor locked eyes with him and she lowered her head. Her intentions were clear but her focus was divided, she was having trouble watching the trainer and her prey at the same time. Owen's movements slowed to a crawl.
"Easy girl."
"Easy, I'm not going to take that from you."
"Easy girl."
"Let me show you what needs to be done."
He approached the confused raptor slowly, keeping his movements fluid and open. When he arrived at the streaked raptor and her prize he knelt down in front of her and watched her movements. This was the closest he had been to her in months and as he watched his girl, he could see her trembles and twitches as she tried to process what she would do.
It was with a soft growl that she made her decision. She locked eyes with him before turning her head down towards her struggling catch. With a quiet warble, she stepped one foot off the prey. Owen knew what came next; with careful precision and a steady hand, he stuck the tip of the knife into the back of the pig's head. The cries and struggle faded from the caught animal. The trainer pulled his knife out and took a smooth step back from the carcass giving his girl space.
Blue took the opportunity to begin digging in.
She would learn from this encounter. He hadn't been watching her, but he knew she watched him dispatch it. Next time, she would dispatch it herself. Owen continued to watch quietly, backing steadily away from the raptor and her kill. It was an unfamiliar voice that finally broke the silence.
"Do you always make a point of killing your animal's food for them?"
Someone was on the catwalks. He silently cursed, hoping it wasn't someone from the board. Without looking, he responded, "No, but she has never done this before and it wasn't right to let her play with it."
"I see, so you offered it a humane death."
"Nature doesn't understand the concept of humane. What I taught her is practicality. The longer her prey is alive, the more likely it will escape her."
"I see. Is it wise to be teaching such a large predator like that how to kill efficiently?"
Blue was snapping up the last morsels with contented wheezes as she tried to eat and breath at the same time. She had eaten fast today, still she had accomplished what they had set out to do. Owen glanced down at his dripping knife before wiping it on the back of his pant leg and putting the blade away.
He turned to the unknown voice squinting against the morning sun. "It may not be from our standpoint, but she is a predator, it is part of her nature that cannot be removed for her own mental-"
The sound of shifting dirt and several hard thuds was the only warning he received before his eyes exploded with stars and he hit the ground limply.
Consciousness hit him like a bolt of lightning, his torso shooting up into a sitting position as he felt his heart beating a thousand miles a minute. With the movement came the pain.
Agonizing, excruciating pain. His eyes lit with stars again and his head felt like an iron spike had just driven itself into his temple.
His mind was muddled, worried, afraid, nervous, ashamed, angry; his head felt like it was on fire. Without a thought, Owen pulled himself out of the bed he was in and shakily made his way through the darkened room to what he hoped was a bathroom. His hands shakily ran across the doorframe, searching blindly for the light switch.
CLICK
The small bathroom was bathed in a soft glow of light. Even through blurry eyes, he recognized the bathroom as belonging to the paddock outbuilding. It had been outfitted as a sort of break room for trainers during the heat of the day. He shuffled blearily to the mirror, struggling through the migraine engulfing his thought. He watched himself as his eyes slowly focused. Despite the pain he felt in his skull, he did not see anything out of the ordinary. He could feel a bandage on his lower back, under his shirt, it crinkled softly when he moved, but it didn't feel big. His leg felt stiff, but it supported his weight fine.
The headache itself died down over the next few minutes leaving an aching pain and a mild buzz in the back of his skull. With a grunt and a long groan he relieved himself before exiting the bathroom, and laying back on the couch to sleep again.
xxxxxxxxxx
Two days later, he was back behind the barred door waiting for Blue to be funneled away from the pack by Barry. No one would had given him a clear story about what had happened. Barry had even asked him what had happened. He had his suspicions, the four pinholes in his lower back left him with a pretty clear idea of what had happened, but no one had come forward with information on who had helped him after the incident. Barry would only snicker a bit each time he asked.
When Blue finally entered the separated section she locked eyes with him immediately. Rather than darting forward like usual, she approached him almost timidly, her head low and her eyes locked on his knees rather than his face. Owen let out a sigh. She responded with a soft warble, still avoiding looking directly at him.
"Eyes on me."
She was hesitant to respond at first but her head perked up a bit and she finally looked him in the eye.
CLICK
"There's my girl." He tossed the first rat to her. She nearly didn't catch it and took a little longer to swallow it.
"Eyes on me."
She was quicker this time, her whole body perking up as she snatched the treat from the air.
He would learn the whole story eventually, pry it out of Barry if he had too, but for now, he had work to do and a large experiment to prepare his girl for.
Blue looked at him quizzically now, a modest snort escaping her snout.
He knew she was waiting for more. Their routine dictated it.
Only when her attention waivered did he ask again.
"Eyes on me."
CLICK
Once more a pig burst into the enclosure. She was ready this time, nearly catching it as it rushed out the chute. It was her prey and she needed to eat. It squealed once before going still. She was a hunter and the longer her prey lived, the less likely she would eat.